Product Description

This superbly factual account of the life and death of Austria's Prince Rudolph reads like a fast-paced thriller. The colorful and controversial Prince--the last and most talented of the Hapsburg line--was discovered dead on January 30, 1889, in the royal hunting lodge at Mayerling. Beside him, also dead, lay his mistress, the beautiful young Baroness Mary Vetsera. What happened that day remains a mystery that has evoked endless speculation and countless dramatic re-creations--none more engrossing and entertaining than Barkeley's vivid telling.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1297854 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

The Road To Mayerling
If you are looking for a bit of fluff about this period of the Holy Roman Empire, this is not the book for you. It is instead a factual reporting of the history of these royal figures. This is a favorite period of history for me and having studied in Vienna there are many pleasant memories of the places mentioned in the book. There is no converation in this book. It really is a history book but a history book that holds your attention. A lot of research went into the formulation of this book and the author is to be praised. Enjoy!!!

A story retold in a refreshing way.
The tragedy of Mayerling continues to intrigue us. I didn't learn anything startling in this book that I had not read in other books, but it was easy ready and the drama is as fresh today as it was a hundred years ago. We still don't know what was in Rudolph's mind when he killed Mary, and we cannot comprehend anyone agreeing to die at the brink of her adulthood for a dubious love to say the least. The intrigues that went on before the Great War, are still echoing in Europe today. How little the world changes.